Personal injury attorneys have seen the devastation caused by the negligence or reckless behavior of another person or entity. An experienced personal injury attorney in San Antonio can assist you in evaluating your claim and getting the compensation you need and deserve.
An accident resulting in a personal injury is never a planned event. It comes without warning and can be devastating. In one short moment, your life may be changed forever. According to the National Safety Council, there were 167,127 preventable deaths and 46.5 million personal injuries in 2018. Personal injury can lead to mounting medical bills, loss of wages, reduced earning capacity, permanent pain and suffering, loss of consortium and more. A San Antonio personal injury attorney can assure that you get the full compensation you deserve at a time when you need it the most.
A personal injury is the legal term for any type of injury or loss inflicted upon a person due to the negligence of another party. The person who has been wronged can hold the negligent party accountable by seeking compensation in a personal injury lawsuit. The purpose of personal injury law is to restore the injured victim (“plaintiff”) to the position they would have been in if the negligent act had not occurred.
It may be tempting to handle your injury claim without an attorney. In some cases, you may not need an attorney, especially if you are not seriously injured, and your losses are not substantial. Insurance companies are sometimes agreeable when you have a small claim.
However, it is important to have experienced and aggressive legal representation if your injuries are severe and you have suffered significant damages. Our attorneys are dedicated to advocating for maximum compensation for our clients. We know that a full and fair financial recovery will help injured clients move forward after an accident.
Some personal injury attorneys take on a large number of cases and settle them as quickly as possible, sometimes for an amount below the case’s true value. Avoiding trial at all costs can do a disservice to injured claimants who would benefit more from maximum compensation than a fast settlement.
Our law firm puts our injured clients first. Our attorneys do not open and close cases as quickly as possible. We want to see our clients get the results that they deserve, which means that sometimes settlements take longer to negotiate, and sometimes our cases go to arbitration or trial.
We know that our clients want to settle, and we do reach settlement agreements with many of our cases. When we deal with insurance companies, they know our reputation for legal advocacy and trial success. Insurance companies do not like to pay litigation costs, and they often agree to higher settlement terms in exchange for avoiding trial expenses.
When you or a loved one have suffered an injury caused by someone else’s negligence, you need to find an attorney you can trust. At the Villarreal & Begum Law Firm, we are dedicated to helping the people of San Antonio after an injury.
Most of our clients are not attorneys, and they have questions about the personal injury claim process. We believe that open communication is critical, and we want our clients to be informed before they make any decisions about their potential personal injury claim. We provide free consultations and case evaluations with no obligation to those who have been injured in an accident.
Our attorneys will go over your accident and injuries and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of your case. We will give you an honest evaluation of your potential claim and discuss your right to justice and compensation for the losses that you have sustained. We also meet family members whose loved ones have sustained catastrophic or fatal injuries due to someone else’s negligence.
Our attorneys are also available to answer your questions. We know that you have questions about your potential claim, and we want to help you get the answers you need. We will continue to be available to you at the beginning and throughout the legal process. Our attorneys will keep you updated as the case progresses and respond to all of your questions and concerns along the way.
Personal injury cases can become incredibly complicated. Often, there are many parties involved, including the negligent party, their insurance carriers, and legal teams. By securing a San Antonio personal injury lawyer, you are ensuring that there is a level playing field. Your attorney will:
No matter what type of accident injury you or a family member have suffered, we’ll always take the time to fully understand the circumstances of your case and do our due diligence in offering excellent legal advice.
After an accident, our attorneys spend a lot of time answering client questions. Even though every claim has a unique set of circumstances and injuries, some questions are asked more often than others. See below for answers to some of the most common questions that our clients ask about their personal injury claims.
If your injuries are severe and they prevent you from working temporarily or permanently, you may be entitled to compensation for lost wages and loss of earning capacity. The goal of a personal injury claim is to put the injured party in the position they would have been in had they not been injured. One of the ways we do this is by seeking a financial recovery that includes compensation for past, ongoing, and future lost earnings due to your injuries.
Your personal injury attorney will take on the legal work for your claim, including preparing your case against the defendant. Your attorney will investigate your case, interview witnesses, and gather other important evidence to demonstrate that the defendant’s misconduct caused your injuries and damages.
Under some circumstances, you might not even know who was responsible for your accident, and your attorney’s job is to discover the cause of the accident and negligent parties. Sometimes, attorneys will rely on outside resources, such as accident reconstruction experts, to determine fault and liability.
After an injury accident, our clients want to know how much money they will recover for their personal injury claims. The amount you are entitled to recover depends on several factors. In general, the more losses you suffer, the more compensation you will recover. When our attorneys meet with you to learn more about your accident and resulting damages, they will be able to give you a better idea of your claim’s value.
This is another question that cannot be answered until we know the specifics of your case. Even then, it takes two parties to settle a claim, and you can’t always anticipate how the defense will respond to your case. When fault and liability are disputed, cases can take longer to settle than cases where fault is clear. When multiple defendants are involved in a lawsuit, cases can take longer to resolve as well. After our attorneys learn about your accident’s details and understand the defendant’s position, they can give you a better idea of how long your claim will take to resolve.
In most personal injury cases in Texas, the statute of limitations is two years from the date of the accident. However, many facts and exceptions can impact this deadline. For example, filing deadlines may be different if the defendant is a government entity or if there was a delay in discovering your injuries after a personal injury event or accident. If you believe you may have an injury claim, you should speak with an attorney as soon as possible so that you do not miss any important deadlines and lose your right to pursue your claim.
Negligence is characterized as any kind of conduct that creates an unreasonable risk of harm, whether intentional or unintentional. As a result, the negligent party becomes liable for any injuries or losses they caused. In order to demonstrate that an injury was a result of negligence, you’ll need the skills of a qualified personal injury lawyer who can assess the circumstances and identify if the following criteria were met:
Each act of negligence is vastly different, as no two accidents and injuries are the same.
Which parties are at fault will highly depend on the specific facts of each case. If you hire a personal injury attorney, they will investigate your accident to discover all potentially liable parties. After determining which party is at-fault, a claim will be filed against them or with their insurer. Insurance companies will usually conduct their own investigation and independently make a decision regarding liability. If both parties do not agree on the other’s findings, you have the right to take your case before a jury to receive a final judgment.
Our attorneys do not collect attorneys’ fees until they have secured personal injury compensation on your behalf. We know that you are already facing challenges after an injury accident, and you do not need the additional stress of legal bills. Our law firm advances all up-front legal costs so that you will not be responsible for any out of pocket expenses.
After an accident, protect yourself by completing the following steps:
Contact one of Villarreal & Begum Law Firm’s San Antonio personal injury lawyers to learn your rights and for help recovering the compensation you deserve.
Following an injury accident, you may be hesitant to contact your own insurance company, regardless of fault. Although you may feel they should help protect your rights regardless of what you say, it is important to know exactly what and how much information should be given. Here are some tips to avoid potential pitfalls:
Although they are your insurer and should be on your side, they are a business. As a business, they have a bottom line to protect; so you will want to stick to the facts to avoid having your rates increase or being released as a policyholder.
Never indicate that you are at fault. Provide the basic details of the accident, such as where it occurred, the time, and if the police were notified. Be honest, but don’t offer up more information than what is asked. Let the investigation play out, as there may be mitigating factors that affect which party is responsible.
Don’t be too open about your health or wellbeing, as some injuries can take weeks to manifest. Be seen by a doctor and thoroughly examined prior to discussing the health issues you are facing.
Whether you are speaking with your own insurer or that of the other parties, you should refuse to make a recorded statement. You may still be in shock or unsure of the extent of your injuries. If they insist on it, ask why and request that it be done at a later date. That way, you will also have the option of speaking with a personal injury attorney prior to giving your statement.
Blaming the injured claimant is a common defense tactic in personal injury cases. When the injured parties did not cause or contribute in any way to their accidents, defendants often blame the claimant anyway in an effort to reduce their liability. Personal injury attorneys have experience dealing with defense accusations, and they know how to prepare your case to refute baseless allegations.
Even if you were partially at fault for your injuries, you are not necessarily barred from recovering compensation from other negligent parties. In Texas, you may seek compensation under a personal injury claim so long as your percentage of responsibility was not 51% or more. If it is determined that you were partially at fault for the accident, compensation for your total losses will be reduced by your percentage of fault.
Each state has laws in place that limit the amount of time someone has to file a personal injury lawsuit. In Texas, the statute of limitations for personal injury cases is two years from the date of the injury. It is vital that you file your lawsuit before this two-year window closes. Failing to do so will likely result in your case being dismissed. Speak with a qualified San Antonio personal injury lawyer about your case and how the statute of limitations applies.
It is important to understand that every personal injury case is different. The exact amount of compensation a person is entitled to depends on various factors such as the severity of the physical injuries, the total cost of your medical bills, whether or not you are able to return to work, how much pain and suffering you have endured, and more.
Your San Antonio personal injury attorney will work with economic and medical experts to determine your total losses in order to negotiate a fair settlement on your behalf.
Preexisting conditions do not prohibit you from collecting compensation for your injuries and damages in a personal injury claim. If you have preexisting conditions, the defense may argue that you were already injured before the accident. However, even though you are not entitled to compensation for injuries that were not caused by the accident, you may pursue compensation for new injuries sustained in the accident and any accident-related exacerbation of prior injuries.
There is the option of settling a personal injury claim without filing a lawsuit, and most accident claims do get resolved without needing to go to court. However, getting a fair and just settlement is the goal. If an agreement cannot be reached in negotiations with the insurer, then you may decide to file a lawsuit to pursue appropriate compensation.
The claim settlement process is straightforward, but the length of time it will take can depend upon the complexity of the case, whether there are disputed facts, and the injury recovery time. Cases will typically follow these steps:
There are several ways that you can help your attorney with your personal injury case. The first step is to schedule a consultation with your attorney as soon as possible to go over your injuries and begin preparing your claim. If you have any accident or injury related documents or records, such as accident reports and medical records, you should bring those to your meeting.
Seeking medical care for your injuries is also important so that you can begin treatment right away. Evidence of medical care also helps establish that your injuries were caused by the accident. If you delay medical attention, the defendant might argue that your injuries were caused by another accident or event. A delay in treatment can also be used to argue that your injuries are not as severe as you claim.
You can also help your attorney by collecting and preserving any evidence that can be used to support your claim. For example, save any photos and video that you have of the accident scene. Collect contact information from any witnesses to the accident to give to your attorney. You should also take notes about the accident, the circumstances leading up to the accident, and the injuries that you suffered.
After sustaining a personal injury in Bexar County, you will be overwhelmed. You may be facing lots of wages, medical bills and the complete inability to provide for yourself and your family. Let us be your advocate so you can focus on healing and moving forward with your life. It is your job to get better. It is our job to evaluate your claim, determine negligence, assess damages and determine your present as well as future needs. It is our job to get you the compensation you deserve. We love what we do. We will work for you tirelessly to hold the liable party or parties accountable for their negligence.
Time is of the essence; contact a San Antonio personal injury lawyer right away. We will begin with your free consultation and evaluation of your claim.
I highly recommend VB to anyone and will definitely choose them again! I have been in two car accidents and I have gone with VB both times. Their staff is really friendly and helpful and the experience was excellent. Genaro was great, he was always keeping me updated and was able to fast forward the process and get me in the best-case scenario.
-Carlos A.
